[ Technical Textiles - June 2009 News from technical textiles.net.]

Ford’s focus on green developments.

The use of nano-filler materials in metal and plastic composites to reduce weight and increase the strength of vehicles is just one of the areas currently being explored by Ford. The automotive giant’s designers and researchers are taking a green approach to development and design and employing more sustainable materials and processes inside the vehicle – soy-based foam seat cushions and backs, for example, will be on more than one million Ford Lincoln and Mercury vehicles by the end of 2009.

Conductive bicomponent for antistatic clothing.

A conductive bicomponent fibre that is suitable for practical use in antistatic clothing has been developed in Japan by Kuraray Co Ltd.

Advanced textiles for wound care.

A new book, Advanced textiles for wound care, has been published by Woodhead Publishing and is edited by Dr Subbiyan Rajendran of the UK’s University of Bolton.

Wound dressings are fully waterproof.

A French specialist in medical dressings has launched a unique, innovative secondary dressing kit combining adhesive gel and a protective film, which it claims provides waterproof protection for treated areas, compresses or catheters. Secuderm from La Ciotat is now looking for distributors across Europe.

Clinician reports fast healing of intractable wounds using Medihoney.

Derma Sciences, a US-based provider of advanced wound care products, has revealed details of a recently concluded 11-patient venous leg ulcer (VLU) case series involving the use of its Medihoney, a dressing that incorporates sterile, medical-grade honey to achieve wound closure.

Fighting nosocomial disease with Aegis-treated hospital linen.

Textiles used in hospitals are said to be responsible for 17% of nosocomial diseases (hospital-acquired infections). Staff uniforms, patient gowns, hospital linen (bed sheets, blankets and towels, etc.), bandages, compression socks, upholstery and curtains are all significant vectors of contamination from such pathogens as bacteria (principally Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus), viruses, fungi and yeasts.

Multi-layered ankle support.

A multi-layered ankle support is disclosed in US Patent 7 465 284 by Aaron Huppert of New York, USA. The support device (10) comprises:

Blended fibres for mattress ticking help make for a good night’s sleep.

Advansa has blended two fibres – its own polyester Suprelle® Fresh and Lenzing’s lyocell Tencel® – to create a textile that improves moisture management and air circulation in mattress tickings.

Novel flexible materials for medical implants.

At the Advanced Textiles '09 event held in Brussels, Belgium, in April 2009, Damien Simons, Head of Research and Development at French technical textile producer MDB Texinov, described novel warp-knitted textile materials for the surgical treatment of a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament.

Raheama offers high thermal conductivity.

Japan’s Teijin has developed a new thermal-management material called Raheama - a carbon fibre filler which conducts heat better than metals such as silver or copper.